TRAVERSE CITY – A funeral is being held in northern Michigan for former Michigan U.S. Sen. Robert Griffin.

The funeral will be held at noon Tuesday at First Congregational Church in Traverse City. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has ordered U.S. flags lowered Tuesday at state offices in Griffin’s honor.

The 91-year-old Griffin died Thursday. He spent 10 years in the U.S. House and a dozen years in the U.S. Senate before being defeated by Carl Levin in 1978.

He was a staunch Republican who initially backed President Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal before joining other influential senators in calling for the president’s resignation in August 1974.

Griffin later spent eight years on the Michigan Supreme Court.

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